Programme Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Youth contracts.

In accordance with the organisational mandate and national development priorities of Ukraine, UNFPA is implementing a country programme of technical assistance to Ukraine for 2022-2025. Among several priorities, the country programme seeks to contribute to the development of a robust national system of response and prevention of gender-based violence (GBV), establish functional intersectoral coordination and accountability mechanisms, and enhance institutional capacities at the national and regional levels to ensure that majority of gender-based violence survivors seek and have access to good quality survivor-centered services, and Ukrainian society finds GBV unacceptable.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, more than 10 million people have been forcibly displaced with more than 3.7 million fleeing to the neighboring countries out of which the majority are women and children. GBV risks sharply increased due to military activities, massive displacement of population, and deteriorating security situation in a country where the prevalence of various forms of GBV was already high (the 2018 OSCE survey revealed two-thirds of women experiencing either sexual, physical, or psychological violence since the age of 15 years) before the war. With the growing number of reports and anecdotal evidence on conflict-related sexual violence, threats of trafficking for sex, sexual harassment, and other forms of violence, strengthening coordination for GBViE prevention and response was prioritized by the UNFPA, the lead agency in support of the GBV Sub-Cluster.

The Gender-Based Violence Sub-Cluster (GBV SC) was established in 2015 under the Protection Cluster to deal with Gender-Based Violence in humanitarian settings.

UNFPA is seeking highly motivated candidates who share our passion for making a sound contribution to creating a Ukrainian society free from gender-based violence. We need strong professionals who are proactive, committed to excellence, and keen to deliver high impact and sustained results. Under the supervision of Programme Management Specialist and Programme Management Associate, the Programme Assistant provides support to the coordination, implementation and reporting on UNFPA’s country programme.

Programme Assistant provides programme, administrative and financial support to the programme and operations team in the implementation of the country programme. The Programme Assistant applies established systems and procedures in the implementation of the Country Programme; he/she assists in the creation of substantive knowledge by compiling, synthesizing and analyzing information relevant to substantive issues. S/he is instrumental in facilitating programme/project implementation using and developing appropriate mechanisms and systems and ensuring compliance with established procedures.

The major attention of the Programme Assistant will be focused on the implementation of the Project “WE ACT 2: Women Empowerment Action”. The overall project objective is to strengthen women’s economic opportunities and resilience during the emergency crisis prompted by the full-scale Russian invasion to Ukraine.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Programme Management Specialist or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the Programme Assistant will: - Contribute to implementation of Programme activities; - Provide logistical support to programme activities (missions, training sessions, workshops, conferences) including making arrangements for travel, accommodation and venue, effectively communicating with providers and participants; - Assist with programme procurement of goods and services, ensuring that procurement is conducted in accordance with UNFPA Procurement Procedures; - Draft and translate letters, meeting minutes, briefs, presentations and other documents necessary for programme management; - Assist with the preparation of Terms of Reference (TORs), Requests for Quotations (RFQ) and Requests for Proposals (RFP) for project assignments; - Facilitate Individual Consultants recruitment process, collect the documentation required for the hiring and contract extension, induction of consultants into the programme and issuance of payments for the accepted deliverables; - Prepare requests for direct payment to the Finance unit in accordance with the approved budget; - Collect and record information on programme activities, including making timely inputs to the Monitoring Tool, and contribute to the preparation of relevant progress reports; - Assist with producing media materials on activities for placement on UNFPA social media and website; - Perform other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor or UNFPA Assistant Representative.

Results/expected outputs:

As an active UNFPA team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support rendered to UNFPA and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: - Programme Assistant supports the implementation of the country programme and Project “WE ACT 2: Women Empowerment Action”. - Programme Assistant works in a client, quality and results-oriented manner in close collaboration with UNFPA specialists, GBV and SRH programme team members, all units of the UNFPA Country Office (CO), UNFPA implementing partners, as well as personnel of other UN agencies to exchange information and ensure smooth implementation of projects activities in line with the approved work plans, indicators and milestones (Programme Results Framework). - Programme Assistant ensures that all activities are carried out in accordance with UNFPA rules and procedures as well as donors’ requirements. - Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment. - A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilised, activities participated in, and capacities developed.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to the position; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNFPA procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.
• Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNFPA in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organisation’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority.
• Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organisational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues.
• Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.
• Planning and organising: effective organisational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.
• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathise with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups.
• Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary.
• Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNFPA mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

project management, social protection work, humanitarian response or related area. -Experience with an international organisation or multilateral technical assistance project will be an advantage; -Demonstrated interest in and/or experience in the areas of capacity development, women’s economic empowerment and gender-based violence will be an advantage; -Experience in effectively working with stakeholders from the governmental and non-governmental institutions involved in social development work at the national and sub-national levels; -Good research and analytical skills, ability to multitask and prioritize workload; -Excellent self-organisation and proactive attitude to work; excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organisations, and authorities at different levels; -Proficiency in MS Office package, Google applications and teleconferencing tools; -Familiarity with UN procedures, policies, and frameworks will be an advantage.

As it is a national UN Volunteer's assignment, the volunteer shall organize his/her accommodation by themselves. Taking into account the current circumstances in the country, telecommuting arrangements can be applied by the Host Entity. This is a full-time contract.

Entitlements of National UN Youth Volunteer (Kyiv Duty Station)

This is a full-time assignment. The contract lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

Allowances: • Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) 1270 USD (equivalent in UAH) is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. This includes Well-Being Differentials for the period while the ICSC applies hardship classification to duty stations in Ukraine as “E”. • USD 400 entry lump sum, one-time payment.

Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins from the Commencement of Service and normally ceases one month after the last day of the UN Volunteer Contract date. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment. If a UN Volunteer dies during the UN Volunteer assignment, the eligible designated beneficiaries will be entitled to receive a life insurance lump sum. Leave entitlements: • Annual leave:  UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave may not be carried over in case of reassignment or a new assignment. • Learning leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive seven days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. This amount will be reset at the established interval period.

Full entitlements at the duty station: https://app.unv.org/calculator

The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos